Sayaka Miki head was filled with thoughts of the hospital, so she was in a state of high excitement. It was Madoka, worried about Homura, who first noticed the abnormalities in the environment.
They weren't walking on the busiest main road, but logically, there shouldn't be absolutely no one around. As the sun dipped lower, her sense of unease grew. Her logic screamed at her to leave with Sayaka, but looking at the figure of Homura in the distance, she gritted her teeth.
'No, I can't leave Homura-chan alone...'
"Sayaka, let's pick up the pace!"
"OK~"
The two sped up, eventually breaking into a jog. The distance closed quickly, but just as they were about to reach Homura, the "Abnormality" struck.
Pop~
There was no sound, but it felt as if they had pushed through a membrane. Both girls skidded to a halt as they realized their surroundings had changed beyond recognition.
What was once an ordinary path with streetlights and low shrubs was now a maze of towering iron fences. Countless strange, thorn-like plants crawled over the bars. More terrifyingly, the thorns were writhing. Homura had stopped up ahead, but this gave Madoka no comfort, because she could now see Homura's condition clearly.
Homura turned her head slightly, looking at them with a tilted head as if confused, but her vacant, hollow eyes proved she had no consciousness of her own.
Furthermore, the "strange creature" standing in front of Homura made their hair stand on end.
It had no facial features save for a curled mustache; it wore a top hat and held a walking stick, looking like a gentleman, but in this macabre environment, it was purely grotesque.
"Homura-chan!"
Though she usually seemed soft-hearted, Madoka Kaname suddenly displayed initiative far exceeding Sayaka. She lunged forward and pulled Homura back.
This rough movement snapped Homura out of her trance. At first, she blinked like a dazed fawn, looking around in confusion until she noticed the eerie surroundings and a look of dread took over. Only when she saw Madoka did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"Madoka... where are we?"
"You don't know? We followed you all this way and ended up here."
Despite her tomboyishness, this creepy situation had Sayaka spooked, making her tone unintentionally harsh. Homura tried to recall what happened, but she remembered nothing—only waiting for them at the school gate and seeing a strange silhouette. After that... a total blank.
She clutched her head in pain, but then she noticed a shadow blocking the view in front of her.
"Be careful, you guys. This place is too weird. Let's see if we can back out."
Despite her grumbling, Sayaka Miki was someone with a fierce sense of justice. she knew deep down she couldn't blame Homura, but she was too stubborn to apologize, so she expressed her regret through action instead.
At that moment, Homura noticed that although Sayaka back wasn't particularly broad, she was shielding her. Sayaka shoulders were trembling slightly, but before anyone could speak, the "White Mustache" creature that had been idle finally moved.
It tapped its walking stick lightly on the ground. Suddenly, the seemingly harmless thorns lunged toward the girls like surging tentacles.
It looked like something horrib—terrifying—was about to happen. All three girls closed their eyes by reflex. But at that moment————
Clack~
Bang! Bang!
Following a series of strange clicks, an exaggerated roar of gunfire erupted. The vines closing in on the trio were instantly blasted apart. Then, a golden silhouette leapt down from a nearby iron fence, landing right in front of them.
"Are you three alright?"
The gentle voice allowed their racing hearts to gradually return to normal. Before they could ask who she was, the "White Mustache"—which had maintained its gentlemanly pose—seemed provoked. It slammed its cane repeatedly, and the thorns grew even more frenzied. The three girls instinctively huddled together.
"Judging by your uniforms, you must be students from Mitakihara Junior High, too? I wanted to chat, but I'm afraid I have a bit of business to take care of first..."
Tap~
Her toe lightly brushed the muzzles of the flintlock pistols she held. The muzzles, which had been pointed at the ground, swung outward.
Bang! Bang!
With two successive shots, two clumps of thorns were pulverized. This was only the beginning; more thorns lunged forward. Madoka and the others tensed up again, but the girl in front of them didn't seem to care at all. Instead, she elegantly lifted her skirt, as if a graceful lady was performing a curtsy.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
With her movement, a dozen flintlock pistols fell from beneath her skirt and planted themselves into the ground. She began to twirl like a debutante on a ballroom floor. Following her "dance steps," the pistols in her hands fired continuously. With every shot, a mass of thorns was struck down.
By the time only one pistol remained in her hand, the surrounding "thorns" had vanished. She turned toward the "White Mustache" and offered a gentle smile—though the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"The dance is over."
Click~!
BANG!!
As the shot rang out, a wisp of blue smoke rose from the muzzle. The "White Mustache" slowly collapsed, and the eerie iron fences dissolved, returning to ordinary shrubs. However, Mami Tomoe, who had just lowered her weapon, suddenly raised her right hand and pointed the muzzle toward the west.
"Uninvited guest, would you care to show yourself?"
Though the voice was as gentle as ever, the tone carried the weight of a command. Madoka and her friends, who had finally started to relax, tensed up again, watching the spot where Mami was aiming.
Rustle~
With a rustle of the bushes, a man in a white lab coat stepped out.
"Dr. Lancer?!!"